Awning inclosure



Sept. 16, 1930. s.-c. DREI-1ER AWNING INCLOSURE Filed oct. so, 1929` INI/mToR h f MM, BY

; MM ATTORNEY,

Patented Sept. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT *oFFlcEff STANLEY C. DREHER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEWMAN MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, 0F NORWOOD, OHIO, AKCORPORATION 01,?.r OIIIO` I AWNING INcLosURE Application filed 0ctobe1730, 1929. Serial No. 403,607;

closure independent of the attention of the operator who extends or retracts the awning.

' Other objects will appear in the course o the following description. Y i

I accomplish the above objects by the device illustrated, forexample, in the accompanying drawing, in which- The figure is a front-to-rear vertical section of the device.

The awning pole 1, to which the lower end of the awning 2 is attached, is supported at its ends by arms 3, the upper ends of which curve inwardly and are fixed to the pole l, while the lower ends, not shown, are understood as being pivoted to a post or jamb 4 at the respective side of the door or window or the like vwhich is shaded by the awning.

The'lintel structure 7 supported by these posts or jambs 4 or by the building wall comprises a channel 8, which, for the purposes of my invention, is set back from the face of the building, and the forwardly extending bottom plate 9 and top platelO secured to the respective flanges of the channel 8 and suitably braced by brackets 8 the upper .ones of which also support at the front a fixed depending wall 11 to which the cornice 12 is attached. v

The roller 13 onto which the awning 2 is wound is journaled in the ends of the inclosure, and, at one end, .in a gear box 14 mounted on the channel 8 andiunderstood to contain suitable gearing operatively connecting the roller 13 with the upright shaft 15 extending down through thebottom plate, 9, understood to connect this shaft, with the usual ratchet device, not shown, but understood as being mounted on the face of the adjacent jamb or post within easy reach of the operator. v

All of the foregoing building and awning structure `is well known in the art, and the partial illustration and brief description are deemed suflicient for a full understanding of my invention as related thereto. Such prior structures have been provided with the winding roller 13 set back in an inclosure, to drawv the awning'2 andv its pole 1 insides the inclosure; but, so'rv far as I am aware, the front of the inclosure always has been left open, with the awning and pole visible,.detracting from the appearance of the store frontror the like, aswell as leaving the awning, when rolled up therein, exposed to the weather as well asto dust and dirt which collects in the inclosure and upon the awning. f The resultY is that fthe awning not only unduly is -deteriorated, but becomes dirty and unsightly;l

and, unless excessive deterioration andsoilingris allowed, the awning must betaken down at the beginning of cold weather and thenI put up again for the following warm season. j

In my inventiom the shutter 17 is connected by a hinge 18 to the lower edge of the upper front `wall 11 of theinclosure, and the lower edge part of the shutter bears against a stop strip 19 on the yupper edge ofl and set back from the face of a lower, fixed wall 20 at the front of the bottom .plate 9 of the inclosure. This lower edge part preferably is curved outward, forming aflange 21 with its downwardly and inwardly presented side convex. To allow the shutter 1,7 toclose when the arms 3 are up, with their end parts curving intofthe inclosure, they 'shutteris provided with slots 22, .openingvthrough its lower edge. y i c The hinge 18` preferably-is made up of an outer hal-f tubular part 23 fixed to the upper edge ofthe shutter 17 .with its open side outward, and having an upstanding flange 24 to which. the round bar 25 has its upstanding flange 26 fixed, andan inner, half tubular member`27 opening-upwardly and hooking around the bar 25, with its outer edge fixed to the upper front wall 11 of the inclosure. The round bar 25 thus turns in the inner member 27, with the bar flange 26 swinging down and'inward toward the edge ofthe member 27 as the shutter 17 swingsopen upwardly. This hinge structure extends ung' and to the upstanding flanges 24mand 26'v thereof; and each comprising a flange part 30 extending down when the shutter is closed, withits widened lower edge part 81 extending backward over the awning pole 1 and down behind the pole where it engages y the rear side of the pole, At intervals along the shutter 17 smaller weights 32 are fixed thereto, extending up therefrom when the shutter is closed, as does the main heavy partof each end weight 28; the latter having its rearedgecurvedto clear the gear box 14, andthelowerend of vits flange edge kpart 31 being shortenough to .clear the 'top of the stop istrip 19aszthe shutter .17 swings open upwardly. Y r

It'will kbe understood that, upon completion ofthe operation of winding up the awning, the ratchet-device before alluded to holds theroller Vlfrom turning and the awning 2V thereon holds the lpole 1 and arms 3. up, and this polel, engaging the weight flange yparts 31'as shown, holds the weights 28 up 'and the shutter 17 closed and holding its small weights 32 upas shown. But as soon as the ratchet device vis released to lower the awning-2,'the weights 32 andv 28 act, throughthe engagement of the weight flanges with the pole 1, to push the latter with its arms '3 outward and downward, yand to swing the shutter 17 outward and upward. These weights .28 and 32 are-so designed and 4proportioned, and 'so mounted on the shutter 17, that when thus released they will hold the lower edge part 21 of the Ashutter! with Iits convex side very cl0seto=or upon the awning 2 unwound thereunder; but, 'if actually touchingfthe awning, touchingv it very lightly. Theresult ofv this convexity of the edge part 21 of-.the shutter, and this V`ver-y light caring, Vif any, on the awning, -isto avoid wearingthe-top surface ofthe awning 2, preservingthe hard, smooth, water shedding surface of the awning; yet the space -above theawning,l at the front of the'in'closure, is closed in such degree, when 'the awning is extended, that there is v'a substantially full protection of theworking parts-insidethe inclosure, against the weather and dust and dirt, at all times, whether the awning is extended for vuse or retracted into the inclosure. Y

4Upon retracting the awning, the pole 1 'first passesun'der the4 lower part ofthe shutter `17, which 4is lying out over the awning, and "thenY engages the'lange parts 31 of the weights (28, raising'them and drawing the 'shutter 417 *"to'cl'osed vposition again,.vwith lthe weights 28 and 32 extending upward. It thus will beseen that the operator of the awning need pay no attention to the opening or closing of the shutter 17, and my device is automatic, with no hindrance to the operator except the inappreciable extra exertion required to overcome the weights 28 yand 32 in the last stages of retraction, and the closing of the shutter, and consequent protection afforded, is not dependent Vupon the memory ofthe'operator.

In existing structures, where the lintel beam, such as the channel 8, is set out at or near the faceof .the building, an inclosure may be specially provided and lixed in front of thelintehto overhang the store front, door,` window, or thelike, and provided with myv improvement.

Asdisclosed, the-device is designed for a part of an all metal building structure, such as the finer store fronts and the like, -but it will be understood that wood, or other materialsother thanmetal may be used, in which case .the arrangement of certain parts may. differ from that herein set forth, or other modifications may occureither with or without modification of material. Therefore,

whileI have rather specifically describedand illustrated certain preferred examples of my invention7 I donot wish to 'bezunderstood as being limitedthereto, .but what I claim as new and desire to secure by VLetters Patent is:

1. An awning inclosure Vhaving an opening, an awning mounted in said inclosurefor extension and retraction through said opening, a shutter having ahinge above said open-k ing on which it swings down across said opening upon retraction of said awning, and to swing' open upwardly upon extension of said awning and a weight on said shutter, extending abovesaid hinge. v 2. .An awning inclosure having an opening, an awning mountedin said inclosure for extension and retraction through said'opening, an arm mounted outside said inclosure to supportsaid awning, extending through said opening when said awning is retracted, and a shutter for said openingiha'ving a recess admittingsaid arm when said shutter isclosed.

3. An awning inclosure having 'an opening, an awning inl said inclosure, a pole on said awning, said pole and said awningbeing adapted to be extended and retracted through said opening,.a shutter mounted on said enclosure to cover said opening when said pole and awning are retracted .into said inclosure, anda weight acting on'said pole vand said shutter 4to extend said awning and open said shutter simultaneously.

4. An awning inclosure having an opening, an awning to be extended and retracted eration on said shutter, held up by the retracted awning, and released to open said shutter upon extension of said awning.

5. An awning inclosure having an opening, an awning structure comprising an awning to be extended or retracted through said opening, a shutter to cover said opening when said awning has been retracted, and a weight connected to said shutter for opening said shutter and having an extension engaged by a part of said awning structure when said awning is retracted, whereby said weight is raised restrained by the retracted awning and is released for opening said shutter when said awning is extended.

6. An awning inclosure having an opening, an awning structure mounted in said inclosure for extension and retraction through said opening, a shutter for said opening, a weight operatively related to said shutter to open said shutter, and means whereby a part of said awning structure, upon retraction, closes said shutter.

7. An awning inclosure having an opening, an awning structure mounted in said inclosure for extension and retraction through said opening, a shutter for said opening, a hinge for said shutter, a weight attached to said shutter and extending above said hinge when said shutter is closed, to open said shutter, and means whereby a part of said awning structure, upon retraction, closes said shutter.

8. An awning inclosure having an opening, an awning in said inclosure, a pole on said awning, said pole and said awning being adapted to be extended and retracted through said opening, a shutter for said closure, a hinge for said shutter, a weight attached to said shutter and extending above said hinge, to open said shutter, and an extension on said weight to engage said pole whereby said pole, upon retraction, closes said shutter.

9. An awning inclosure having an opening for extension of the awning, and having a space above said opening, a shutter for said opening, and a weight on said shutter extending into said space when said shutter is closed.

10. An awning inclosure having an opening for extension of the awning, a shutter for said opening, and a weight connected to said shutter, disposed to open said shutter.

STANLEY C. DREHER. 

